Ron Carter is one of the most recorded jazz bassists, appearing on over a thousand recordings (several thousands, according to some estimates) beginning with Don Ellis and Jaki Byard in 1960. A product of Detroit's Cass Technical High School (other jazz alumni include Gerald Wilson, Kenny Burrell, Dorothy Ashby, Donald Byrd, fell bassist Paul Chambers, and Geri Allen), he came to international fame as a founding member of Miles Davis's second classic quintet, with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams.

In the 40 years since, as well as performing as both leader and sideman, he taught at City College of New York, where he is now a professor emeritus. He received two honorary doctorates, from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and was the 2002 recipient of the Hutchinson Award from his alma mater, the Eastman School at the University of Rochester.

Pick

Artist

Album

Song

Label

# 1

Miles Davis

Kind of Blue

All Blues

(Columbia)

# 2

Houston Person and Ron Carter

Now's the Time

Einbahnstrasse

(Muse)

# 3

The Ron Carter Nonet

Eight Plus

Eight

(Dreyfus)

# 4

Rosa Passos and Ron Carter

Entre Amigos

Desafinado

(Chesky)

# 5

Ron Carter

Brandenburg Concerto

J.S. Bach, "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048"

(Blue Note)

# 6

Samuel Barber

Adagio from String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11

Book

Walter Mosley, or Michael Connelly, or George Pelicanos

Luxury Item

"Any manual that would show me how to do something I haven't read the book on how to do ... a manual for something I don't know how to work without reading it"